The Hard Way
by hellomynameislucifer
Summary: It has been quite awhile since the events of the Queen Zenobia. Chris and Jill had hoped all of it would be over, but of course it isn't. And with Parker and Raymond refusing to cooperate, it'll be a wonder if they survive a single day. Sequel to 'After the Fact,' but can be read on it's own. And this one actually has an overall plot and story arc. I DO NOT OWN RESIDENT EVIL.


Ah, it's so dark. I can barely see... But that light, it seems so warm, even though everything around me is cold. What is this? Water. It must be. Why won't my arms move like I want them to? This is so hard... I... I...

*Kill. Kill them all.*  
It hurts so much...  
*It hurts.*  
My arm... What happened to my arm?!  
*Quick. Kill them. Kill them first.*  
Where am I? Where was I before? What time is it?  
*Strike. Throat. Bite. Watch their blood. Their lips turn blue. Time to kill them. Watch them fade away.*  
The last thing I remember... is...  
*Raymond. Traitor. Kill the traitor. Make the traitor suffer. The traitor must die.*  
I was alone. So long ago...  
*So long...*  
I can't...  
*Die. I want to die.*  
I want to die. It would be so easy... *So easy...*  
To die...  
*Die.*  
Death... Am I dying?  
*Dying.*  
I must be. So this is it. This is the end.  
*The end... this is...*  
All gone... I'm... gone...

* * *

"Bullshit. Complete bullshit. Do you think I'm an idiot? I heard her die," the man snarls.

"No, look, I wouldn't be asking this if I wasn't at least 90% sure , and-"  
"Fuck off, Chris."  
"Raymond, seriously, just listen-"  
He jammed his index finger into the end call button, then throws the iPhone across the room. As expected, the piece of shit breaks in half. Stupid Apple products... Now he has to get a new phone. This one will not be Apple. Or anything with a touchscreen, for that matter. He assumes Chris will probably call back a few times before he takes the hint and stops. Either that or he will start pestering Raymond via email. That would not surprise him in the least.  
With nothing better to do, he decides to just go on the computer anyway. He will eventually read the emails at some point, so why bother waiting when he can just read and promptly get rid of them. As usual, the computer in his small apartment takes forever to turn on. At least it's a good computer, he thinks. Yeah. Great for hacking. And tracking Parker, which is beside the point.  
"Oh, come on. Could you be any slower?" He shakes the mouse. "Guess not."  
Another minute of grumbling and waiting has Google Chrome open and the Gmail bookmark being clicked. Raymond scans the first four of five newest emails. Chris, Chris, Chris, and Barnes&Noble. The last one is from... Raymond freezes and holds the cursor over the email for several long seconds. Parker. It has been about two weeks since the last time they talked. Since Raymond told him he was a spy...  
He squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath. He should have sent something long before now, but maybe that would have seemed too persistent. It might be best that he let Parker be the first to break the persisting silence. Well, time to open that email. From 2 hours ago. With no subject.

Raymond,

I found an interesting new place on my way back from a mission. It has to do with computers and... Well, I thought you might like it. If you're interested, let me know and I can get you in. If you do decide to go, bring a jacket. It's gotten colder in the last few weeks. I've attached a map to the email. Be there at 11 if you want to go in.

Parker

Raymond stares at his computer screen. He re-reads the email twice before he finally opens the attachment. So he has an hour. That does not leave much room for preparation. He sighs, a small smile gracing his lips. This could be a welcome distraction. Not to mention the potential to fix things. Yeah, that could be good. That could be absolutely perfect.

* * *

"Idiot," Chris mutters.

Jill glances over, amusement sparkling in her eyes. "What'd he say?"  
"Nothing. That asshole hung up on me."  
"Is that really so surprising, considering the circumstances?"  
He sighs dramatically. "No, not really. But it still pisses me off. He always gets away with this crap. As if I could ever turn down a mission."  
Jill rolls her eyes. "As if you would want to."  
"What?  
"Nothing, nothing. Just go back to leaving your voice mails."  
"It's going straight to voice mail," Chris growls.  
Jill shrugs. "Then email him or something."  
"Why don't you do it?"  
She raises an eyebrow, her voice skeptical. "Me? You want me to try to talk some sense into him? Yeah, right. I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole."  
Chris ignores her in favour of tapping furiously at the keys on his phone. Jill swivels back around to face the computer and starts pulling up files from the BSAA database. So they were hacked again. She frowns. Not even Quint Cetchum, their best computer person, could trace the IP address. Or anything, for that matter. Apparently there was nothing at all. It infuriated him, but in that wow-look-a-new-challenge kind of way.  
"God dammit!"  
"What now?"  
"He's fucking ignoring me. That asshole. I swear, next time I see him I'll-"  
"Chris, cool it. You usually don't get this worked up. Why's he bothering you so much?"  
"He just pisses me off. And telling me to fuck off for no apparent reason is kinda annoying..."  
"As if you've never done that before."  
"I haven't," he says stubbornly.  
"No, of course not. Never you."  
"Shut up..."  
"No. Any besides, I've gotta fill you in on the latest. I'll give you the details while we walk."  
Chris looked up from his phone, curiosity evident on his face. "Really? What's up?"  
"That thing. You know, the one you're bothering Raymond about."  
"Hey, if anyone should be involved, it's that son of a bitch, Vester."  
"Quiet. And yes, it's that."  
Chris strolled up to meet Jill at the door. "You sure this is such a good idea?"  
Jill gives him a funny look. "Why wouldn't it be?"  
"Because these things always turn out bad."  
"I never said it wouldn't."  
"So why the look?"  
"Because, wouldn't it be nice if this actually worked? I mean, she seems to be recovering."  
"Kind of an overstatement, Valentine."  
"Yeah? I don't think so, Redfield."  
"If you say so. I just... I can't believe she's alive."  
"I can. After all, when did Rachel ever even stay dead?"  
Chris chuckles. "Yeah. So you told me. In any case, this should be a laugh."

* * *

A/N: So this ended up being posted a day after it was on AO3... Oh well! Anyway, here is the prologue. Thoughts?


End file.
